Meaning & Origins

Transferred use of the Scottish surname, originally borne by Sir Walter de Lindesay, one of the retainers of King David I of Scotland (1084–1153), who took the name to Scotland from Lindsey in Lincolnshire. The place name is first recorded in the form Lindissi, apparently a derivative of the British name of Lincoln. To this was later added Old English eg ‘island’, since the place was virtually cut off by the surrounding fenland. As a given name Lindsay was at first used for boys, and in Scotland and Australia it remains in occasional use as a male name, but elsewhere it is now used for girls.